Ukraine’s Coke Output Up 1% MoM in January
Ukrainian gross coke production was up by 0.9% MoM to 1.64mn tonnes in January, according to the industry association UkrKoks. In year-on-year terms, the output figure represents a 1.5% drop.
COMMENTARY
The main contribution to the slight monthly growth in January output came from ISD-controlled Alchevsk Coke. The company increased its January production by 6% MoM, bouncing back from a 5% MoM decline in December. Although Avdyivka Coke’s production was slightly down in January, it was
4% higher than the company’s 4Q11 monthly average of 378,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, Yasynivsky Coke cut its output by almost 4% MoM due to falling orders. Coke prices in Ukraine declined by 5% MoM to USD 290 per tonne in January. However, local prices for coking coal, the major input in coke production, fell by a similar 4% MoM, and this acted as a mitigating factor, reducing pressure on coke makers’ margins from the drop in their selling prices.
